Welcome to Cruise Critic! If you'd like to participate on our forums by joining in the conversation, please Register Now! Be sure to visit our FAMOUS Roll Call forums, where you can meet other cruisers sailing with you and share a tour or shore excursion and SAVE MONEY!

** Please post your recommendations ONLY in response to request...do not start a new thread. Thanks!

We are two women travelling together and we wondered if it would be safe for women to take a cab or should we take the ships tour?

Do NOT go on your own..go with the ship's tour..trust me on this.It is not that it is really unsafe,but with a group you will be more or less protected from all the people who want to sell you something(and even this can be iffy) or to beg,and when you wander through the old city you will not get lost.

How about a family of 5, taking the Ferry from Spain to Tangiers? Ok to stay overnight?

...

cberge is 100% correct. We took the ferry from Spain a few years ago but with an organized tour. The bus picked us up at our timeshare and the guides stayed with us (in close contact) the entire time. One guide stayed in the front of the line and a second in the back. If you are based on the Costa del Sol there are MANY places to visit in Spain that are in my opinion much better than Tangiers. Tangiers is very depressed, street vendors in your face, etc. I would not go alone and not stay overnight. Others may have different thoughts. I have no desire to return.............Other option are Granada, Sevilla, Cordoba, Ronda, Nerja or Gibralter..................Marty

How about a family of 5, taking the Ferry from Spain to Tangiers? Ok to stay overnight?

...

No...go back to Spain on the last ferry...DO NOT spend the night.If you go over see if you can't get on a tour from Spain where you are staying I assume a hotel..this would be the best way.I would not go on your own at all.I reiterate what martyap says.

No...go back to Spain on the last ferry...DO NOT spend the night.If you go over see if you can't get on a tour from Spain where you are staying I assume a hotel..this would be the best way.I would not go on your own at all.I reiterate what martyap says.

Excellent idea about the tour from Spain. I'll check into it. Thanks. Also, someone mentioned a hotel on top of the train station and that might be very convenient 4 days post cruise if we plan on taking the train back and forth.

Excellent idea about the tour from Spain. I'll check into it. Thanks. Also, someone mentioned a hotel on top of the train station and that might be very convenient 4 days post cruise if we plan on taking the train back and forth.

...

Are you planning to stay in Malaga? Have you been to some of the great cities in Spain like Granada or Sevilla? They would be much better choices than Tangiers.....either by rental car or train....Believe me, walking around the Kasbah was no big deal ....great views...............The tour we took from our hotel included bus to Tarife, high speed ferry to Tangiers, lunch, touring and in your face beggars and vendors.....stay in Spain....Marty

Excellent idea about the tour from Spain. I'll check into it. Thanks. Also, someone mentioned a hotel on top of the train station and that might be very convenient 4 days post cruise if we plan on taking the train back and forth.

...

Like Marty asked...where are you staying? I stayed for almost 2 weeks in Torremolinas,and went all over the place..either,bus,train or tour..I took one to the Alhambra Place in Granada.there is so much to see(I think so anyway) in that part of Spain.Make sure to do one of the city markets while you are there if you can...they are in different cities(towns really) on different days.You can go to Ronda and several other small towns for some interesting sights.I am with Marty if you really don't need or want to go to Tangiers you have a lot of great choices to choose from in the area.BTW,Gibralter was a real treat.I must say I went on a bus and my friends drove...they never made it onto the Rock as traffic was really bad and limited,but the bus(tour) got on.I was alone and had a blast.

We are two women travelling together and we wondered if it would be safe for women to take a cab or should we take the ships tour?

Do not miss Tangier! You will regret it, it's such a unique experience. (We stopped in Tangier 2 years ago & it's still one of our favorite memories.)

We hired Aziz Begdouri for the day, air-conditioned minibus. He does the usual touristic route (Royal Palace, Cap Spartel, Hercules Cave, and best of all the Kasbak, the Medina & the souks). But he can customize to whatever you want.

I think it was $70pp for the two of us (on a private tour) & it was by far the best of our shore excursions.

Do not miss Tangier! You will regret it, it's such a unique experience. (We stopped in Tangier 2 years ago & it's still one of our favorite memories.)

We hired Aziz Begdouri for the day, air-conditioned minibus. He does the usual touristic route (Royal Palace, Cap Spartel, Hercules Cave, and best of all the Kasbak, the Medina & the souks). But he can customize to whatever you want.

I think it was $70pp for the two of us (on a private tour) & it was by far the best of our shore excursions.

Hello,
We're staying 3 days pre-cruise in a Barcelona Apt and then 4 days post cruise unknown yet. We were thinking about doing the overnight train to Paris post cruise or getting a 5 day, 3 country rail pass that we could even use on the cruise when we stop in Rome and Naples. However, since you had a good experience in Tangiers, then perhaps we just get a 3 day train pass for Spain. We would have to take a few trains to get to the ferry crossing to Tangiers. My hubby was in Iraq for a year and is a Police Lt. He adjusts well in new environments. Does Tangiers look anything like the Moroccan section at the Animal Kingdom? LOL

It was several years ago, but we did hire a guide on the pier, he hired a taxi there that took us to several places and then left us in the old city. It was my husband, my mom and myself. We negotiated a price in advance. He took us several places including shopping for a rug which we requsted. and we enjoyed it. He kept the vendors away from us and when my Mom got tired he found another taxi and took us back to the ship. However, when we got back to the pier the price went way up!

So did we have a nice tour---yes. Did we get ripped off? - Yes.

I'd probably not just hire one off the pier again but would arrange for a guide that had references.

Another plug for Aziz here! We were on the tour with Teacherman last year. He took us places we would have never, ever gone on our own and I loved every second of it!

........ To everyone but Teacherman, forgive the rest of this post! ---

Don! I was so excited to see your name. Are we still going to be in the museum in Cairo at the same time, same day? I'm guessing the answer is yes since you're over here on the African boards too.

My computer went FUBAR and I lost your (and everyone elses) email. I have a new one --it's my first name and last name, no spaces then verizon dot net. I would love to hear from you. In case you forgot my last name is Barton.

We are two women travelling together and we wondered if it would be safe for women to take a cab or should we take the ships tour?

Instead of a cab you should really look into having a private tour guide. The cost will be much lower than a ship's tour and you will be able to see lots more with extra time for a nice lunch and shopping where and how long you want.

Much has been said about Aziz, but we used Said. He is a well educated man who lives and breathes Tangiers, has a great van that will hold up to six persons (I believe, but we were only two) and the driver. He even bought a rose for my wife.
As it turned out he charged us less than Aziz and about one half of what the ship's tour would have cost. How can you go wrong with $50 per person for an all day tour?

You should also be aware that there will be several 'guides' waiting at the dock who may or may not be trusted to take you to the places where you want to shop, etc. I suggest you go by recommendations and forget about cabs.